Open Smart Cities in Canada:
Webinar 2
Presented by: Jean-Noe Landry (Open North) & Dr Tracey P. Lauriault (Carleton
University) & Rachel Bloom (Open North)
Content Contributors: David Fewer CIPPIC, Mark Fox U. of Toronto, Stephen
Letts (RA Carleton U.)
Project Name: Open Smart Cities in Canada
Date: December 14, 2017

Welcome
Introductory remarks
Jean-Noe Landry, Executive Director, Open North
Webinar 2 includes:
1. Summary of Webinar 1: E-Scan and Assessment of Smart Cities in Canada (listen at:
http://bit.ly/2yp7H8k )
2. Situating smart cities amongst current digital practices
3. Towards guiding principles for Open Smart Cities
4. Examples of international best practices from international cities
5. Observations & Next Steps
Webinar Presenters:
Rachel Bloom, Open North
Dr Tracey P. Lauriault, School of Journalism and Communication, Carleton University

Open North
Founded in 2011, OpenNorth is Canada’s leading not-for-profit organization specialized in open
data and civic technology.
Focus: inclusive, innovative, and dynamic open data ecosystems
Expertise:
open smart and resilient cities
data standards and life cycle management
open data policy, licenses, and governance
data user needs identification and stakeholder engagement
strategy and planning
Approach: global/local, multi-stakeholder, inter-jurisdictional, capacity building, maturity
modeling, applied research
Networks: Open Data Charter, Open Government Partnership, International Open Data
Conference, Global Initiative on Fiscal Transparency, Open Contracting Partnership, Canadian
Multi-stakeholder Forum

Open Smart Cities in Canada Project
Funded by: GeoConnections
Lead by: Open North
Project core team:
Rachel Bloom & Jean-Noe Landry, Open
North
Dr Tracey P. Lauriault, Carleton University
David Fewer, Canadian Internet Policy
and Public Interest Clinic (CIPPIC)
Dr Mark Fox, University of Toronto
Research Assistants Carleton University
Carly Livingstone
Stephen Letts
Project collaborators:
Expert Smart City representatives
from the Cities of:
1. Edmonton
2. Guelph
3. Montréal
4. Ottawa
Collaborators include experts from
the provinces of:
1. Ontario
2. British Columbia

1. Summary Webinar 1

Webinar 1
E-Scan & Assessment of Smart Cities in Canada
E-scan identified
smart city makers
smart city components
Assessment of smart city strategies:
Cities of Edmonton, Guelph, Montreal, and Ottawa
governance structures
practices relate to open data
geospatial data
Procurement
Conclusion

Smart City Challenge
Launched November 2017
Municipalities, regional governments,
& Indigenous communities
Community not-for-profit, private
sector company, or expert
$300 million Smart Cities Challenge in
2017 Budget

2. Situating Open Smart Cities

Data & Technology
are considered as more than the unique arrangement of objective and
politically neutral facts & things
&
they do not exist independently of ideas, techniques, technologies,
systems, people and contexts regardless of them being presented in
that way.

Smart City
Smart
City
Think
Tanks
Consulting
Firms
Alliances &
Associations
Civil Society
AcademicProcurement
Guides,
Playbooks &
Practices
Indicators
Cities
Vendors
Standards
Organizations

Smart City Components
Smart Infrastructure
Smart Buildings
Smart Mobility
Smart Technology
Smart Energy
Smart Citizens
Smart Governance
Smart Education
Smart Economy
Smart City Like Concepts:
Safe City
Healthy City
Accessible City
Resilient City
Sharing city
Smart city in the public interest
Open Smart City

Smart City Data
Sensor, Algorithm & AI derived
Big
Real-time
System wide & component
focused
Centrally stored and cloud-based
In platforms with device lock-ins
Proprietary
Tied to operations
Applied to operational decision
making and maybe planning

Internet of Things
Security & privacy vulnerabilities (hacking)
E-waste – cost, short shelf life
Mission creep - potential
Surveillance / dataveillance potential
Ownership / procurement
Repair – DRM
Device lock in
Archiving - the lack thereof
Reuse – unintended purposes
Sustainability & maintenance &
management
Interoperability – the lack therefor
Standards – emerging

Current Digital Practices
Smart city strategies are being created as stand alone institutions
It is suggested that open smart cities should be aligned and integrated
with a number of other open & digital practices
We will discuss smart cities in the context of the following practices
Digital Strategies
Open Government
Open Data
Open Science
Open Platforms
IoT/Smart Cities/Precision Agriculture

Digital Strategies
Delivering faster, better and ‘consistently
good’ (ON)
government services online to citizens (E-
Government)
web bases government enterprise services for
public servants/administrators
Providing greater and easier access to
government information and resources on the
multiple devices and platforms (Fed.)
Enterprise-wide alignment and cost-effective
use of information resources, and to promote
and sustain a culture of innovation (NB)

Open
Science
Smart Cities
Open
Platform
Open Data Open
Government
Digital Strategies
YesNo Maybe LikelyUnlikely
Digital
Strategies
Precision Ag.

Open Government
“is about making government more accessible to everyone. This means
giving greater access to government data and information to the
…public and the businesses community”
“is about creating a more open and transparent government for the
people of…”
“foster a global culture of open government that empowers and delivers
for citizens, and advances the ideals of open and participatory 21st
century government.
Values
Access
Openness
Transparency
Participation
Canada is the Co-Chair of the OGP for 2018-2019
Province of Ontario Joined OGP in 2016

Canada’s Open Government
Action Plan Commitments

OGP Participation and Co-Creation
Public participation Principles
1.those who are affected by a decision have a right
to be involved in the decision-making process.
2.public's contribution will influence the decision.
3.recognizing and communicating the needs and
interests of all participants, including decision
makers.
4.involvement of those potentially affected by or
interested in a decision.
5.seeks input from participants in designing how
they participate.
6.provides participants with the information they
need to participate in a meaningful way.
7.communicates to participants how their input
affected the decision.

Canadian Civil Society
Open Government Recommendations
1. Lead by Example
2. Active and proactive
participation by politicians and
civil servants at all levels
3. Clarify the Message
4. Go Beyond Compliance
5. Translate open government to
other policy areas
6. Reinforce the relationship with
Canadian civil society
organizations

Open
Science Digital
Strategies
Open
Platform
Open Government
YesNo MaybeUnlikely
Open
data
Smart Cities/
Precision Ag
Open
Government
Likely

Open Data
Open Definition Summary:
Knowledge is open if anyone is free to access, use, modify, and share it — subject,
at most, to measures that preserve provenance and openness.
This essential meaning:
matches that of “open” with respect to software as in the Open Source
Definition and is synonymous with “free” or “libre” as in the Free Software
Definition and Definition of Free Cultural Works.
1.1 Open License or Status
1.2 Access
1.3 Machine Readability
1.4 Open Format

International Open Data Charter
“digital data that [are] made available with the
technical and legal characteristics necessary for
[them] to be freely used, reused, and
redistributed by anyone, anytime, anywhere”
Open North is one of the international
stewards of the Open Data Charter
OpenNorth forthcoming study on Charter
TBSC is on the Advisory Board
Endorsed in Canada by IDRC
Adopted by:
City of Edmonton
Government of Ontario

Open Data Standards
Domain-specific:
Transit (e.g., GTFS), Service
Requests (e.g., Open311),
Procurement Information (e.g.,
Open Contracting),
International Aid (e.g., AITI), and
others…
Linked Open Data (e.g., RDF,
DCAT, SPARQL)
Open Corporates

Open Standards
An open standard is one that
1. is created in an open, international, participatory
industry process;
2. is freely distributed and openly accessible;
3. does not discriminate against persons or groups; and
4. ensures that the specification and license are
technology neutral (its use must not be predicated on
any proprietary technology or style of interface).
Open Specification
A document written by a consortium, vendor or user
that specifies a technological area with a well-defined
scope, primarily for use by developers as a guide to
implementation. A specification is not necessarily a
formal standard.

Open
GovernmentOpen
Science
Digital
Strategies
Open
Platform
Open Data
YesNo MaybeUnlikely
Precision Ag/
IoT Open Data
Likely
Smart
Cities

Open Science
“Open Science is the practice of science in such
a way that others can collaborate and
contribute, where research data, lab notes and
other research processes are freely available,
under terms that enable reuse, redistribution
and reproduction of the research and its
underlying data and methods.”
https://www.fosteropenscience.eu

Precision Ag.
Digital
Strategies
Open
Science
Open
Platform
Open Source
Citizen Science
Open
Government
Open Science
YesNo MaybeUnlikely
Open Data
Likely
Smart Cities

Open Platforms
Federal Geographic Data Platform
Comprehensive collection & sharing of
authoritative data
Search, discovery, access, & visualization
tools built once & reused many times, search
once and find everything
Common web-based environment enabling
data integration, analysis, & visualization to
support informed decision-making
Shared governance & management of
geospatial assets and capabilities, through
operational standards & policies

Canadian
Geospatial Data Infrastructure Principles
1. Open:
enables better decision making, the CGDI is based
on open, barrier-free data sharing and standards
that allow users to exchange data.
2. Accessible:
allows users to access data and services seamlessly,
despite any complexities of the underlying
technology.
3. Evolving:
the network of organizations participating in the
CGDI will continue to address new requirements
and business applications for information and
service delivery to their respective users.
4. Timely:
the CGDI is based on technologies and services that
support timely or real-time access to information.
5. Sustainable:
is sustained by the contributions of the participating organizations and broad
user community and through the infrastructure’s relevance to these groups.
6. Self-organizing
the CGDI enables various organizations to contribute geospatial information,
services and applications, and guide the infrastructure’s development.
7. User and community driven
emphasizes the nurturing of and service to a broad user community. These
users, including Canadians in general, will drive the CGDI’s development based
on user requirements.
8. Closest to source
maximizes efficiency and quality by encouraging organizations closest to source
to provide data and services. Thereby eliminating duplication and overlap.
9. Trustworthy
is continually enhanced to protect sensitive and proprietary data. The CGDI
offers this protection through policies and mechanisms that enable data to be
assessed for quality and trusted by users.
Source: : 2012, Canadian Geospatial Data Infrastructure Vision, Mission and Roadmap - The Way Forward DOI:10.4095/292417

Digital
Strategies
Open Data
Open
Science
Open
Platform
Open
Government
Open Platforms
YesNo MaybeUnlikely
Smart Cities/
Precision Ag/
IoT
Likely

Data-Driven, Networked Urbanism
Cities that are “instrumented and networked, their systems
interlinked and integrated, and vast troves of big urban data
are being generated and used to manage and control urban
life in real-time” (Kitchin, 2018)
Smart cities
Digital city
Intelligent cities
Sustainable cities
Responsive cities
Sentient cities
Sharing cities
Cities as a platform
Innovative cities
programmable cities
Connected cities, and
Hackable cities
Kitchin, Rob, (2015) Data-Driven,
Networked Urbanism,
http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.2641802

Digital
Strategies
Open
Data
Open
Science
Open
Platform
Open Source
Open
Government
Smart Cities / Precision Ag. /IoT
YesNo MaybeUnlikely
Smart Cities/
Precision Ag/
IoT
Likely

Open Data
Digital
Strategy
Open
Science
IoT Smart
City / Prec.
Ag.
Open
Platforms
Open
Source
Open Gov’t
Mapping
openness
onto the
smart city
requires the
Integration
digital
practices
Alllevelsofgovernment

3. Guiding Principles for Open
Smart Cities

Openness is also
the public interest,
rights & ethics.
Open Smart Cities

PAS 181:2014 Smart City Framework
Operations approach
Agreeing a set of
principles
for the management of
data that data owners
commit to working
towards
open data standards &
the Five Star Rating
Civic engagement
Ethics and rights?

A Smart City in the Public Interest
Objectives of this report are to provide public
servants with ethics guidelines to follow in the
development of their smart city plans whereby:
1. Smart cities should favour above all the public
interest and public good
2. Reduce possible negative consequences as it
pertains to dignity, privacy and democratic life
3. Ensure that there is equitable distribution of
the benefits of the smart city and avoid and
minimize the possible discriminatory
outcomes of the smart city
4. Ensure that the benefits always outweigh the
costs

Data Privacy & Security in the Smart City
Multi-pronged ecosystems approach that uses a suite of solutions across the life-cycle
(procurement to decommissioning) that are not prejudicial to people’s privacy, actively
work to minimize privacy harms, curtail data breaches, and tackle cybersecurity issues.
1.Market driven
2.Technical
privacy enhancement technologies
3.Policy, regulatory and legally focused
revised fair information practice principles,
privacy by design,
security by design,
education and training,
4.Governance and management orientated
vision and strategy – smart city advisory board and smart city strategy;
oversight of delivery and compliance –
smart city governance, ethics and security oversight committee;
day-to-day delivery – core privacy/security team, smart city privacy/security
assessments, and computer emergency response team.

EU - GDPR
General Data Protection Regulation
Data Subjects
Breach Notification
Data Sovereignty
Data Portability
Right to Access
Right to Explanation – Algorithms
Not included:
Right to Repair
Environment
Dr Tracey P. Lauriault, School of Journalism and Communication, Carleton University

Smart Cities – IoT waste & environment
Reducing waste & recycling, energy efficiency, toxic batteries, electricity
consumption, short shelf life, fair Labour practices, mining of semi-
precious metals, ability and right to repair.

4. Applications of Open
Smart City Practices

Assessment of 4 Cities in Canada
Last webinar we presented
our assessment of smart city
strategies and practices at the
Cities of Edmonton, Guelph,
Montreal, and Ottawa
We identified some gaps and
considerations for the future
related to strategic principles,
situated linkages, guidelines
for IoT, privacy and security
considerations,
interoperability standards for
opening data, and civic
engagement

Chicago (USA)

Chicago - Smart City
Leadership:
Mayor, CTO, and CDO; DoIT and units for advanced analytics, content management and
process modernization, Information Security Office (ISO), and Data Science Team
Chicago Technology Plan (2013) and Progress Update (2015)
Foundational Strategies:
establish next generation infrastructure and ensure participation of all Chicago residents
and businesses in the digital economy
Growth Strategies:
leverage data and new technology to make government more efficient effective, and open;
work with civic technology innovators; and attract and retain science, tech, engineering
and math professionals
Open data drives Plan’s:
transparency, accountability, analytics, and economic development
Chicago embraces a ‘City-as-a-Platform’ model for enabling products and services to be built
out of publicly owned resources

Close Collaboration w/
Civil Society on Digital Literacy
Activities Description
The City that
Networks
Report on Smart Chicago Collaborative’s initiative for inclusion. Specifically the Mayor’s Advisory
Council on Closing the Digital Divide was challenged to make recommendations to help ensure
universal digital access and to improve community, educational, economic and other outcomes.
Digital Skills
Initiative
Technology training across departments and delegate agencies that have received federal funding
Connect Chicago
Network of 250 places in the city where internet and computer access, digital skills training, and
online learning resources are available free of charge
Smart Health
Centers
Training health information specialists in low-income clinics to assist patient in connecting to
their own medical records and find reliable information about their own medical conditions
Civic User Testing
Group (CUTGroup)
A project started by the Smart Chicago Collaborative. The project consists of paying residents to
test civic website and apps to improve their user experience design. Daniel X. O’Neil and the
Smart Chicago Collaborative published a book, entitled The CUTGroup, that covers in detail how
to conduct user experience testing, community engagement, and digital skills in one civic tech
system. The book is openly available online and licensed under a version of the Creative
Commons Attirbution-ShareAlike license.
Open City/ Chi
Hacknight
Volunteers and meet ups to build civic applications with open data
Close
collaboration
with the Smart
Chicago
Collaborative, a
local civic
organization that
focuses on digital
inclusion and
technology for
public good

IoT: Transparent Engagement Methods
& Policies about Privacy and Security

Open Source, Geospatial and Open Data
Smart Data Platform OpenGrid

Dublin (Republic of Ireland)

Dublin - Smart City
Lead by the four Dublin Local
Authorities
Smart Dublin (2016) program
As Smart City is real time,
connected, and data driven
Vision: A leading open, connected,
and engaged smart city region to
live in, work in, and visit
Initiative is driven by urban
challenges of Smart Mobility,
Environment, Smart Government,
Smart People, Smart Economy,
Smart Living

Context

Tracking Initiatives

Open, Real-Time, Geospatial Data
DublinDashboard

Helsinki (Finland)

Helsinki - Smart City
Forum Virium Helsinki,
centralized office for
smart city projects
6Aika Strategy (2014);
Smart Helsinki Region
6Aika Strategy:
Focus areas: open
innovation platforms, open
data and interfaces, open
participation and
customership

3D Model – Open, Geospatial, Smart

IoT: Openness and Principles
Principles:
1. Human centric control and privacy
2. Usable data
3. Open business environment

Applications of MyData Model

E-Estonia and Data Exchange Layer

Innovative and User-Driven Procurement
Helsinki Open Innovation Platform Smart Kalasatama District

New York City (USA)

New York City - Smart City
Leadership:
Mayor’s Office of Technology and Innovation (MOTI), Department of Information
Technology & Telecommunications (DoITT), Mayor’s Office of Data Analytics (MODA)
(operates as a Center of Excellence)
Guided by:
Roadmap for the Digital City (2011); Building a Smart and Equitable City (2015); NYC
Digital Playbook (2016)
Building a Smart and Equitable City:
integrated with One New York urban plan and equity is an “explicit guiding principle”
Digital Playbook:
Principles of equity, inclusivity, accessibility to government information and services;
improving public services, user friendliness, and civic engagement and outreach;
transparent, secure, and trustworthy data practices; and sharing and collaborating
data and platforms to improve City service to residents
12 strategies in the NYC Digital Playbook to uphold these principles

MODA Open Source
Analytics Project
Library
Showcases 3 projects (plans to
expand number of projects)
Makes transparent the source code
behind the analytics and the
algorithms that MODA is developing
for city services
Information is deliberately provided in
plain language about the technology
landscape and the policy goals that were
made as part of that engagement

Open & Geospatial Data
Legislation and Standards
Local Law 11 of 2012 (Open Data Law)
Local Law 108 of 2015 (Geospatial standards)
Local Law 107 of 2015 (Data Dictionaries), Local Law 106 of 2015
(Retention and Archiving), Local Law 109 of 2015 (Public Requests),
Local Law 110 of 2015 (Timely updates); Local Law 7 of 2016 (FOIL
responses including data); and Local Law 8 of 2016 (Examination and
Verifications)
Proposed bill INT 1696-2017 (Open algorithms)

IoT Guidelines
Privacy + Transparency
Data Management
Infrastructure
Security
Operations and Sustainability

Summary of Open Smart Cities Practices
Ethical and principles-based
guidelines, recommendations,
and models for IoT and smart
cities:
Security
Privacy
Access to personal data
Data management
Open and geospatial data can be
mandated
Visualizations
Meaningful engagement
Partnerships
Open data are central to
strategies
Open:
Source
Algorithms
Platforms
APIs
Procurement
Innovation
Standards
IoT

Gaps and Challenges
Translating ethics and principles into practice
Compliance is difficult to monitor
Auditing is not carried out
Openness & transparency are secondary to open innovation
Sustaining meaningful engagement
Little discussion of human rights and environment

5. Conclusion

Preliminary recommendations
Integrate digital and open practices
onto smart cities:
Open government
Open data
Open science
Open IoT
Open standards & specification
Open platforms
Open smart cities include:
Rights (GDPR & right to repair)
Are in the public interest
Ethics (Quebec, NyC, Helsinki,
Chicago)
Environmental considerations
Critical and meaningful public
engagement & dialogue not just
consultation
Ecosystems approach (ASDI and
Dublin Report)

Next Steps
1. Open Smart Cities Definition
2. Guidelines and principles for open smart cities

Q&A

Thank you
Rachel@opennorth.ca
Tracey.Lauriault@Carleton.ca
jeannoe@opennorth.ca